Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dukhan

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,658 in Dukhan, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Dukhan
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Dukhan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Dukhan

🇶🇦 Qatar

$1,658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Dukhan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Dukhan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,658 in Dukhan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Dukhan $1,658

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,307 in Dukhan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Dukhan $2,307

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,956 in Dukhan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Dukhan $2,956

Chiang Mai is about 44% cheaper than Dukhan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Dukhan is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$9.82 QAR 35.76

-77.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$69.5 QAR 253

-72.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.95 QAR 28.92

-30.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.45 QAR 45.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.70 QAR 49.88

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$5.74 QAR 20.91

-70.91%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.95 QAR 3.44

-32.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.41 QAR 1.48

-24.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.05 QAR 7.46

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.37 QAR 4.99

5.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.93 QAR 7.02

-31.09%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.50 QAR 12.73

-34.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$11.41 QAR 41.52

44.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$7.64 QAR 27.80

-63.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.23 QAR 40.87

-17.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.26 QAR 8.24

3.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.81 QAR 6.59

-46.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.58 QAR 5.75

1.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.21 QAR 4.42

23.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.99 QAR 3.59

29.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.00 QAR 3.65

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.40 QAR 5.08

-49.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.51 QAR 1.87

-3.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.35 QAR 34.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 QAR 6.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 QAR 8.20

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.41 QAR 23.32

-35.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.97 QAR 7.17

-41.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.08 QAR 7.58

-74.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$13.59 QAR 49.45

-82.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.55 QAR 2.02

163.64%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$24.2K QAR 88.1K

-13.02%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$21.7K QAR 79.1K

24.02%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$62.2 ฿2,095

$85.5 QAR 311

-27.25%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.17 ฿410

$33.84 QAR 123

-64.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$86.0 QAR 313

-76.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.54 QAR 45.64

-48.25%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$736 ฿24.8K

$676 QAR 2,461

8.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$9,535 QAR 34.7K

54.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$61.4 QAR 224

-13.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$54.7 QAR 199

-54.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$98.4 QAR 358

-7.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$84.4 QAR 307

-14.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,363 QAR 4,961

-64.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$890 QAR 3,241

-65.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,678 QAR 6,109

-40.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$1,111 QAR 4,044

-42.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$4,157 QAR 15.1K

-85.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.92

-5.91%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dukhan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Dukhan

$890 53.7% 188% $581

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Dukhan

$213 12.9% 9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Dukhan

$135 8.1% 23.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dukhan

$205 12.4% 117% $111

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Dukhan

$177 10.7% 128% $99

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dukhan

$12 * 0.8% 79.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dukhan

$25 * 1.5% 50.1% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,363 in Dukhan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Dukhan are about 7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $69 in Dukhan. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $213 in Dukhan – so Dukhan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇶🇦 Dukhan

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

14:06 2:06 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

12,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.246 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.06 QAR (1 QAR = 0.246 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Dukhan 4,990 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dukhan

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Chiang Mai vs Dukhan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dukhan costs about 77% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,487 in Dukhan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,363 in Dukhan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $69 in Dukhan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Dukhan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,658 in Dukhan. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,658 in Dukhan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dukhan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.